


Cat Fight

by spookyawards_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Medium Length
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-01-04
Updated: 2003-01-04
Packaged: 2019-04-27 05:51:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14419050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookyawards_archivist/pseuds/spookyawards_archivist
Summary: Scully loses her cool and fights for Mulder's honor, revealing more than she meant to. What will they do now?





	Cat Fight

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Spooky Awards](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Spooky_Awards), and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [SpookyAwards' collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/spookyawards/profile).

 

Cat Fight

## Cat Fight

### by Donnilee

**TITLE: CAT FIGHT**

**AUTHOR: DONNILEE**

**CATEGORY: MSR/M-POV**

**RATING: NC-17**

SPOILERS: Little ones for Duane Barry, Never Again, Tithonus, Milagro, Detour, Darkness Falls Leonard Betts, Fire, Rain King, Fight the Future. You might miss them. They certainly won't ruin anything for you. 

SUMMARY: Scully loses her cool and fights for Mulder's honor, revealing more than she meant to. What will they do now? 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is just another biscuit. Its an idea that was put forth by RonniePR to have one or the other of our dynamic duo actually get into a confrontation with a rival. I decided to give it a shot. I need to get to those sequels, but ... I must write while the bug is biting, you know? So, hope you enjoy this little smut biscuit. 

* * *

**PART 1 (PG-13)**  
**HOOVER BUILDING**  
**FOURTH FLOOR INFIRMARY**  
3:00 PM 

I was in a state of complete and utter shock. My partner was sitting on a table in the infirmary while a nurse dabbed antiseptic lotion on a cut above her eyebrow. 

She was giving the nurse a hard time spouting her 'I'm a doctor' crap and 'I can take care of myself,' crap. 

Nurse Ratchett as I call her; a 50ish woman with a face that resembled Munch's scream painting, was having none of it, and grasping my recalcitrant partner by the chin to hold her still like she was a misbehaving child. 

Now it was not unusual for my partner to find herself banged up or in need of medical attention. Since teaming up with me seven years ago, she had almost surpassed me for bodily injury ... almost. 

No, that part wasn't unusual. What was unusual, what had induced this state of shock, was the reason for her injuries. 

She was not attacked by a psychotic date with a talking tattoo. She was not attacked by a privacy-invading author. Nor was abducted by a madman afraid of aliens or a shadow government. Alas, she had not been stranded in the woods, eaten by mutant bugs, nor did she fall, or fight for her life against a head growing cancer mutant, nor did she get shot by a rookie replacement partner. 

No, my partner was sporting a cut eyebrow, a split lip and bruised ribs because ... 

She was in a cat-fight. 

That's right, a cat-fight. 

Scully, Ms. 'I Am a Medical Doctor,' Dana Scully, was in a cat-fight. 

Scully, Ms. 'I am a Calm, Cool, Collected Scientist, FBI Agent,' Dana Scully, was in a cat-fight. 

Scully, Ms. 'I Never Lose my Temper,' Dana Scully, was in a good old fashioned, nail-scratching, hair-pulling, kicking punching, choking, cat fight. 

And the ultimate shocker; she was in a cat fight ... over me. 

Me, Spooky Fox Mulder, partner extraordinnaire - NOT! 

Me, her pain-in-the-ass partner, who has caused her more grief and anguish than any one person should have to endure. 

Me, the man she'd stood up for, lied for and saved, but never once gave any indication that we were more than friends. I simply couldn't wrap my mind around it. We were just friends, weren't we? 

* * *

**HOOVER BUILDING**  
**THIRD FLOOR - 2:30 PM**

Maybe we were just friends. I could have been reading into this. I just couldn't believe it. I had walked in on the tail end of it. Right there outside Skinner's office, in his waiting room, in front of his secretary's desk, she had some rookie agent in a wrestler's head lock. 

The woman had to be nearly eight inches taller than Scully, hugging 5' 10" and outweighed her by forty pounds. I knew her. Her name was Brenda Forsithe. She'd flirted with me, asked me out a few times. Of course, I'd turned her down. I'd had no interest in anyone except my partner for a long time. 

Despite the height and weight difference, my Scully had her subdued, hissing through clenched teeth as she yanked on her long, brunette hair. 

Scully barely had a hair out of place, her make up was still perfect. The trickle of blood on her forehead from a well aimed finger nail marred the perfection of her face, as well as the split lip from said rookie agent landing a lucky bitch slap wearing a gaudy faux marquisette ring. 

Her jacket was unbuttoned and one padded shoulder was hanging off onto her arm, threatening to tear. Her blouse was loosened from her waist, but all buttons were in place. 

She was breathing hard, her eyes icy shards of blue as she twisted the poor woman's neck sideways and I heard a gruesome crack of vertebrae. 

The woman shrieked and tried to claw Scully's arm away from her throat but she was fighting a losing battle. She finally went limp and I heard Scully's voice through the door; rough, ragged and totally without mercy. 

She nearly spat at the woman. "You do NOT want to dance with me! I could break your neck like a twig!" 

I shouted and banged on the window with the flat of my hand. "Scully, that's enough! Don't kill her for Christ's sake! She's a rookie!" 

She ignored me. 

She wrenched her neck again for emphasis and I heard another crack. The woman shrieked again. Scully spat out, "You are SOOO out of your league, you rookie bitch. I'm warning you, the next time you mess with me, you'll be unconscious before you hit the floor. I'm holding back. I'm giving you one chance. Do NOT mess with me or my partner EVER again! Do I make myself clear?!" 

The woman nodded feebly. She continued. "Now, I'm going to let you go, and you are going to walk away from me and not look back!" 

The woman nodded feebly again. After a deep breath she shoved the woman away from her roughly, releasing her hold on her neck at the same time. The woman staggered forward, coughing and putting a hand to her neck. She wheezed as Scully stood there, arms akimbo, waiting for her to recover and walk away. 

The woman was either stupid or insane, because she straightened, took a deep breath, shrieked in rage and spun around, her leg lifting into the air in a round house kick, aiming for Scully's solar plexus. 

I rattled the door handle. "Scully! Let me in!" 

She ignored me. 

Scully was ready, ducked backwards, caught her ankle in both hands and twisted. The woman flipped in the air and fell like dead weight to the floor with a grunt. Scully jumped back as she leaped to her feet, lunging for her again. 

Scully ducked into a crouch, caught the woman in the chest and knocked the wind out of her with her shoulder. As she clutched her ribs, Scully's elbow came up, crashing into the woman's face. At the same time her knee came up and slammed into the woman's stomach. 

A dramatic spray of blood from the woman's broken nose splattered across her astonished face as her head snapped back. Then she crumpled to the floor unconscious. 

"Oops. Well, she'd been warned," I thought, without humor. 

I heard Skinner and a few others snort and realized I'd said it out loud. 

I watched all this through the small window of the waiting room, standing in the hall. Somehow, one of them had locked the door. Skinner had grabbed the nearest phone and told me to get my ass up there pronto. I'd thought I was in trouble but went quickly anyway, preparing to be reamed out by the Assistant Director. Instead I found him the hallway, locked out. 

He merely pointed to the door and I stepped up to it, looking through and watched the action. What the hell was going on? I wondered. 

I rattled the door and shouted to Scully several times during this scenario but I was ignored. As the woman lay unconscious on the carpet, Scully knelt down and checked her pulse. She stood and looked at the door, seeing me through the little window, a look of utter amazement on my face. 

Now, one of my secrets was that I found it an incredible turn on when Scully got aggressive in any way. Usually it was when she was growling at a suspect, or bearing her weapon down, crouched in a firing stance. I'd seen her take men twice her size to the ground because they underestimated her. 

Fortunately, I was facing the door. Skinner and the small crowd that had formed behind me was trying to peer over my shoulder. I blocked their sight line as best I could. At the first growl of Scully's ragged alto, all the blood in my head had rushed south to the other head and I was sporting a boner like a lead pipe. 

Her face crumpled when she saw me through the window and she put her hands over her face, taking a deep breath, her shoulders shuddering. 

I hollered through the door, "Scully, open up! Let me in!" 

She looked up finally and walked slowly to the door. I could see her slight limp. She unlocked it and stepped back, not saying a word. She turned her back to me and stood in front of Kimberly's desk. I turned to look at Skinner and said, "Give me a minute." 

He nodded and said, "Try to calm her down. She won't listen to anyone but you anyway." He turned to the crowd. "O.K., show's over, everybody clear out." 

I heard somebody say, "Spooky to the rescue of his partner." 

Someone else responded, "Isn't it usually the other way around?" 

Just then two EMTs rounded the corner. I opened the door and let them slide past me. They quickly lifted the woman onto a stretcher and carted her off. Scully never turned around. I closed the door softly behind me and locked it again. 

When she heard the snick of the lock, she turned. She asked, "Aren't you going to go and check on her?" 

I was puzzled and must have looked that way. I said, "No, I'm checking on you. She's being taken care of." 

She nodded. Her mouth screwing up as she tried not to cry. I didn't know what this was all about at this point, but I held my arms out. She took a tentative step toward me. She sobbed once and then fell into my arms. I glanced up to see Darlene peering in the window. I gave her a dirty look and her face disappeared. I wrapped my arms around her back and pulled her up to me, forgetting that I had a hard on. 

I remembered with a jolt of realization, when her soft body landed against my groin. I bit down on a moan and pulled my hips back, but I was too late. She'd felt it, and she'd heard my muffled moan. 

Her head snapped up to meet my eyes. I shrugged sheepishly and swallowed hard. "Sorry," I croaked. 

The corners of her mouth turned up quickly but then dissolved into anguish. But instead of pushing me away like I thought she would, she pulled me to her again, and let her body fall against my hips. I gasped but stood very still, feeling my heat pulse against her stomach. Apparently, she was going to ignore it, so I did too, as best I could anyway. 

I whispered, "Scully, are you all right? Do you need to go to the hospital?" 

She sniffed. "No, I'm fine." 

I snorted. "You're a long ways from fine, Scully. You just beat the shit out of Agent Forsithe. What the hell was this all about?" 

She shook her head like she didn't want to tell me. "Scully, you have to tell me. I can't help you if you don't, and Skinner is going to want to know. Plus, Brenda is going to wake up and tell her side. We have to be ready." 

"We?" she asked in a puzzled voice. 

"Of course," I replied, not really sure why she would question me standing up for her. 

She pushed away slightly and looked up at me. "God, I'm such an ass," she whispered. 

I cupped her shoulders. "What happened?" 

"I got into a fight." 

I barked out quick, short burst of laughter and then tamped it down. "Obviously." 

She coughed and then wiped the blood from her lip with the back of her hand. I reached over to the desk and yanked a few tissues from the box sitting there and handed them to her. 

She nodded her thanks and dabbed at her lips, wincing as she did so. I pulled my handkerchief out of my back pocket and dabbed the blood off her forehead. "Scully, what was this fight about?" 

She looked at the floor and her face screwed up again. "What is it?" I asked. 

"I'm embarrassed, Mulder. I've never lost control like that before." 

"I've never seen you like that before." She stepped away from me and I leaned on the desk, crossing my arms over my chest. I pulled my jacket over my crotch in a feeble attempt to hide my very ungentlemanly response to her little fight. 

She smiled ruefully at me. "Me neither." 

"You don't need to be embarrassed. We all lose it sometimes. She must have provoked you. Just tell me. I know you don't lose your temper for no good reason. It must have been important for you to actually get into a..." 

"Cat-fight," she mumbled. 

"Cat-fight?" I asked, not sure I was understanding. 

"It was a cat fight, Mulder. The first one I've ever been in. Jesus! I was just in a cat-fight!" 

My heart leaped up into my throat and formed a knot there that I could barely speak around. Cat-fight? Was she implying that this was over a man? No way. It couldn't be! 

"Scully," I croaked. "You were fighting over a ... man?" I knew I sounded choked and incredulous, but I couldn't help it. Who would Scully defend? Who would she fight over? 

She blushed, actually blushed and I felt a wave of hurt. I knew I shouldn't, but I did anyway. She looked up suddenly, heat flushing her face. 

"Yes, I was fighting over a man." 

I couldn't keep the hurt off my face apparently because she quickly said, "No, Mulder!" 

"No, what?" I asked suddenly, more harshly than I meant to. 

"Don't you want to know who I was fighting over?" 

I looked away. "Not especially," I answered. I knew I sounded sullen and couldn't help it. 

I glanced at her and she smiled and winced again as it pulled her split lip. Great, she thought this was funny. "I don't find this funny, Scully. I didn't even know you were seeing anyone." 

"Hello pot, this is the kettle," she mumbled. 

"What?!" 

I looked away again and she said, "Mulder, look at me." 

I stubbornly looked at the door, seeing that no one was there any more. Skinner must have chased them all away. "Mulder, look at me!" she said, more forcefully. 

I turned my head slowly and looked at her, biting my lower lip, wondering why I was being such a jerk. She was hurt. I should be rushing her down to the infirmary. This was none of my business anyway. 

She swallowed and took another deep breath. "I was fighting over you, Mulder." 

I actually felt my eyes get as wide as saucers. I've seen and heard a lot of amazing, shocking things, but I don't think any of them ever had this affect on me. 

I started breathing harshly, my eyes wide in astonishment. I felt my flagging erection surge back full force. My heart began knocking against my ribcage. 

I gasped and felt light headed. The room swam and I bent over, murmuring, "Christ, I'm going to pass out." 

Scully was next to me in an instant and lifted my own hands to put them over my nose and mouth. "Breathe slow, you're hyperventilating," she directed. 

I did, three or four times and felt the dizziness fade away. When it did, I focused on her again and lowered my hands. She was staring at me, her jaw slack and she licked her lips, drawing my eyes to her split lip. I raised one hand and brushed the corner of her mouth. "You're hurt," I said stupidly. 

She nodded. "A little, nothing big." 

"Scully? Why were you fighting over me?" 

"We'll talk later, O.K.?" 

I nodded. "You have to go down to the infirmary at least." 

"No," she said. I heard the stubborn note in her voice. 

I put my hands on her shoulders. "You have to. You'll need to fill out an incident report, since this happened in the building. You don't have a choice." 

She breathed in harshly through her nose and nodded. "Damn," she uttered under her breath. 

I smiled at her, suddenly feeling really goofy. "You were really fighting over me?" I teased. I couldn't help it. I had to pick on her for this. I was instantly contrite as I saw the hurt flash across her face and her eyes tear up. 

Her neck flushed again, but this time it didn't reach her face. She examined the carpet again and then said, "Does that freak you out?" 

"A little," I admitted. 

"I'm sorry. I don't know what happened, what came over me. I just ... couldn't listen to her anymore. She talked about you like you were a piece of meat, a stud for hire." 

I laughed again, quick and short. "Yeah, that's me. Stud for hire." 

She chuckled then. "God, Mulder, I'm mortified. I know you think she likes you, and you must like her, but the things she said, they were so insulting. Made you sound like a toy." 

"So you were defending my honor? Didn't want me to be exploited as a sex object?" I asked, unable to keep the amusement out of my voice. 

"Sort of." 

"Sort of?" 

She swallowed again, looking over my shoulder. "I don't want to talk about this right now." 

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm not upset." 

She looked at me then. "You're not? You're not embarrassed that your partner completely lost it and beat up your girlfriend?" 

"Girlfriend? What are you talking about?" 

She stared at me then and swallowed again. "She said ... she said she was your girlfriend, or that you were dating." 

My eyes went wide again and I shook my head. This was starting to make more sense, but not much. Scully wasn't my girlfriend either. "I barely know her, Scully. She's asked me out a couple of times but I turned her down both times." 

"You did?" 

"Yes." 

"Why?" 

"Why? I wasn't interested in her, obviously." 

"But she's your type." 

"My type? And what would that be, Scully?" 

"Tall, big boobs, long, brunette hair, brown eyes." 

I raised my eyebrows. "Thought a lot about this, have you?" 

She shook her head. "No, I didn't need to be genius, Mulder. Every woman you've ever been involved with was a brunette with big boobs and legs up to her neck." 

"Oh, really?" I asked with a straight face. 

"Diana? Phoebe? Kristin? Those names ring a bell, Mulder?" 

I chuckled then. "Coincidence, Scully." This was becoming more amusing by the minute, even though I knew it shouldn't be. 

"Yeah, right Mulder. Bullshit!" 

"It is not!" 

"Can you look me in the eye and say she isn't your type? That you're not attracted to her?" 

I met her gaze. "Yes." I sighed. "Maybe at one time, she would have turned my head, but not anymore." 

"Not anymore?" 

"No." 

"Why not?" 

"What is this, 'Twenty Questions,' Scully?" 

She looked at the floor again, looking hurt. Damn it. Why couldn't we ever have this kind of conversation without injuring one another? Why did we always have to be so cryptic? The woman in front of me, the woman I've been in love with for nearly five years just had a cat fight over me with a woman who lied and said she was my girlfriend. Obviously, that upset Scully enough to make her beat the woman up. It didn't make sense yet. I didn't really understand it and I figured I didn't have the whole story yet. And I was still holding back and expecting her to spill everything. 

Why did I always hold back? Because she expected me too? Because she did and I followed her lead? I was just plain scared of losing her all the time. Maybe this was the sign I'd been waiting for. "I'm sorry, Scully. I didn't mean to get defensive." 

"It's O.K. I'm asking personal questions that are none of my business." 

"You have every right to ask those questions. This woman obviously lied to you. I'd be interested in knowing what she said." 

"Later," she mumbled. 

I nodded. "All right. Look Scully, I ... " I took a deep breath, screwing up my courage. "If it matters to you, I've only been interested in one woman for the last five years but she's never given me a clue that she ... felt what I felt. So I've never ... pursued it. And I certainly haven't pursued or dated anyone else." 

"She said, she implied she'd slept with you." 

"What did she say?" Had Scully misinterpreted her? Did it matter? 

"She said, and I quote, 'I've already had him.'" 

"She lied Scully." 

She looked up at me again, a look of confusion on her face. "I didn't know you were interested in someone." 

I smiled, realizing she didn't understand what I was saying. Here I had finally gotten the courage to give her a hint of what I wanted and she was totally misunderstanding me. "Yeah, and she's not a brunette." 

"No? Blonde then?" 

"Blonde? Where are you getting these ideas, Scully?" 

"Marita, Detective White, that air head in Kroner Kansas." 

I laughed then, looking at the ceiling. "I wasn't with any of those women, Scully." 

"Well, what's left?" 

I shook my head in amusement again. "She's a redhead." 

I looked at her to find her eyes locked on my face. All the air suddenly left the room. "Mulder?" Her voice was a whisper. 

Just then, three loud bangs landed on the door. We both jumped. Saved by the bell. Skinner was scowling through the little window. I jumped up and went to the door, unlocking and opening it. God, I was such a coward. I didn't know if I could look her in the face right now. 

Had I really just told her that? Jesus, I'm an idiot. This was not the time nor the place. Or was it? She'd just fought ... over me. Over ME! Christ on a crutch, Scully, you're killing me, I thought. I needed to know the details of this story and I needed to know them soon. This could careen out of control in a heart beat. I didn't want to make any assumptions here. 

The potential for misunderstanding was huge. Maybe she had just felt that she needed to defend me because the woman said something insulting. Maybe she thought my hard on had been for Brenda or simply from the excitement of watching the fight in general. That happened to some guys, the adrenaline and all. It wasn't the case here. That strain on my zipper had been all for her, but she didn't know that yet. 

Yet? 

Was I going to tell her? I needed to wait and see what else she had to say. 

* * *

**HOOVER BUILDING**  
**FOURTH FLOOR INFIRMARY**  
3:00 PM 

Skinner was waiting patiently for Scully to be checked out but then we were to report immediately to his office. I wasn't looking forward to that. 

Finally, Scully slid onto the floor off the table, straightened her clothes and buttoned her jacket. She patted her hair and looked at me. 

"Ready?" I asked. 

"As I'll ever be," she replied. 

I held the door open for her and put my hand on the small of her back. She flinched slightly but didn't pull away. I walked her to the elevator and we stepped inside when it arrived. I hit the button for the third floor, and kept my hand on her back. I pressed on her slightly in reassurance and she smiled up at me ruefully. Her look told me she was grateful. She didn't have to say anything. 

The doors opened and we stepped off the elevator. I saw the faces peering at us. A hush descended as we walked the length of the hall. I kept my hand firmly on her back. She was ramrod straight and kept her eyes dead forward. I glared at a couple of peepers and they ducked back into their cubicles. We entered Kimberly's office and she waved us in. "He's waiting for you." 

* * *

**A.D. SKINNER'S OFFICE**  
**THIRD FLOOR**  
**HOOVER BUILDING**

"Thanks, Kim," I said. 

She said, "Agent Scully?" 

Scully stopped and turned to her, almost scowling, obviously expecting some nosey question. Instead we were both shocked when she opened her mouth. "You may get in trouble for this, but ... I was cheering for you. That bitch needed to be put in her place." 

"Excuse me?" I asked. 

Kim scowled. "She tried to steal my man too." 

Scully's mouth dropped open. "Mulder's not my man." 

Kim cut her off. "He's not? Well, in any case, I applaud you. She loves to play mind games and she loves to steal men from other women. She gets off on being a home wrecker. She likes to break up any relationship, even ones like yours and Agent Mulder's apparently. If you two aren't involved that is. She's a slut, First Class. That woman's trying to sleep her way to the top." 

"Uh, thanks, I think," Scully murmured. 

Kimberly smiled. "I hope he's not too tough on you. I already talked to him. I told him what a bitch she is and that she probably provoked you. Lord knows she's lucky I don't carry a gun." 

"Later, Kim," I said. 

She nodded and I rapped once on Skinner's door. "Come in," he bellowed from the other side of the door. We entered and he waved at the chairs in front of his desk. We sat. I noticed Scully sitting gingerly on the edge. Her ribs weren't broken, but I knew she was bruised badly enough that they had insisted on a x-ray. I didn't know how bad, but I'd seen her favoring her right side. 

Skinner looked from her, to me, and back to her. Finally he said, "I don't even know what to say first." 

Scully said, "I'm sorry sir. This shouldn't have happened." 

"Damn right, it shouldn't!" 

Scully hung her head. I hated to see her like that. Scully never hung her head. Now she looked defeated, and this was about me. This time for sure. I felt the old familiar guilty feelings assail me. Every time Scully was in a tight spot it was because of me. 

Skinner said, "I don't know what this was all about but I expect a report on my desk by next Monday morning." 

"Yes, sir," Scully replied, her eyes still on the toes of her shoes. 

Skinner continued. "In the meantime, I'm afraid I have to suspend you for the rest of the week for 'behavior unbecoming an agent.'" 

"What?!" I exclaimed. 

Scully just said, "I understand." 

"I don't understand!" I said. "Sir, that's entirely over the top. Agent Scully was defending me! I don't know what that woman said, but we both know Agent Scully. She doesn't lose it over nothing. She's the most professional person I know. We both know that she must have been provoked!" 

He sighed. "I know that. Agent Scully, I'm surprised at you. More than that, I'm disappointed in you. I've always admired your professionalism. I've counted on it. I don't know what could have caused you to get into a fight with this woman." 

Scully opened her mouth but he cut her off before she could speak. 

"And I don't care. Mulder can fight his own battles, the personal ones anyway. And I assume this was personal. I doubt that woman had committed any crime other than being a bitch. There is no excuse for having a barroom brawl in my waiting room!" 

Scully swallowed. "I know. I'm sorry, sir. It will never happen again." 

He nodded. "Please give me your badge and weapon. They will be returned, but for now, you have to leave them here." 

She stood and removed the clip holster from the back of her skirt and laid it on his desk. She reached into the inside pocket of her jacket and dropped her I.D. next to the gun. 

"Sir ..." I began. 

"Can it, Mulder. There's nothing to be done. I have to do this, much as it pains me. Too many people saw this. I can't NOT discipline in this situation. If it makes you feel any better, Agent Forsithe is suspended as well." 

"But, sir, can't she just be on desk duty?!" I asked. 

He shook his head. Scully turned to me. "Forget it, Mulder. It's done. I lost it. I pay the consequences. I expected this. I'm surprised it's not worse." 

"But ..." 

"Forget it, Mulder," she repeated. "Will you take me home? My ribs are killing me. I need to lie down." 

I looked at Skinner and he nodded. "It's late enough in the day. Take off." I stood and we walked to the door. When we reached it he said, "Agent Scully." 

She turned. "I'm sorry. You know I didn't want to do this." 

"I understand," she replied. 

We left and went down to the basement in silence. She gathered up her coat and laptop and I did the same, stuffing some things into my briefcase. I had a feeling I might be working from home for the next few days. I certainly wasn't going anywhere without Scully. I refused to go out in the field without her. 

We walked to the garage in silence. I stopped in front of our cars. "You want to leave your car here?" 

She shook her head. "No, I won't want to come get it later." 

"If you want, I can drive and leave my car here. I'll take a cab in the morning and come back and get it." 

She looked up at me and I was struck by how exhausted and tired she was. She opened her mouth to protest and I said, "Scully, you're tired. You're exhausted, I can see it. You shouldn't be driving." 

She sighed and said, "All right." 

I was surprised at her easy acceptance. She must have been beat. She unlocked her car and handed me the keys. I threw our stuff in the back seat and slid behind the wheel. We made the drive to Georgetown in silence. 

My mind was whirling with all the possibilities and implications. I wasn't going to push, but I was going to get the whole story, come hell or high water. 

* * *

* * *

**PART 2 (R)**  
**DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT**  
5:00 PM 

We both got into comfortable clothes at her place. I always left a bag there for emergencies and I sighed when I was free of my suit and comfortable in sweatpants and a tee shirt. I made her tea while she changed into a similar outfit. 

I almost groaned when she emerged into the living room. She wasn't wearing a bra. Was she trying to kill me? I could see her nipples poking through the cotton and it took all my efforts to keep my eyes on her face. Jesus, Scully, I thought, you're going to be the death of me. I squirmed, feeling my groin tingle and I ruthlessly suppressed it. 

Look at her face, I thought. Just look at her face. 

She sat down on the opposite end of the couch and we both pulled our stocking feet up and reclined against the armrests. I left one foot on the floor. The other I curled up in front of me. She had both legs bent and in front of her like a shield. She cradled her tea cup against her chest. 

We sat in silence, barely having said two words since we arrived. Finally, I said, "Do you want to tell me about this now, or would you rather get some sleep and tell me later?" 

The way I asked the question, she knew that I was saying she was going to tell me one way or the other. But I was giving her an out, some time to collect herself and gather her thoughts. I wasn't going to push her. 

She inhaled deeply and looked at me. She licked her lips again. Her tongue wouldn't stay away from that cut on her lip and it was driving me crazy to see her pink tongue darting out to lick it every minute or so. Finally she said, "I might as well tell you now. It's not going to get any easier." 

"I know you're hurting Scully. I'm not going to push right now. I want you to relax and recover from this, but I also need to know what this was all about. You told me that not everything is about me. But it obviously involved me this time." 

She nodded. "You deserve to know." 

"I don't know about that, but obviously this woman said some things and I want to know what they are. If she's spreading rumors about me, I need to deal with that. I'll want to talk to her and shut her up." 

"I think I took care of that," she mumbled. 

I laughed then and she smiled, not quite able to laugh. I looked at her and said, "It's up to you when you tell me." 

"Now," she said. I waited patiently and sipped my tea while she gathered her thoughts. I could almost see the gears turning in her head. 

"I ran into her in the hallway outside Skinner's office. She didn't see me and I heard her talking to that blonde chick in the cubicle across the hall." 

"The secretary?" 

"Yeah." 

"Darlene," I said, without thinking. 

She looked at me. "Know all the secretaries names, do you?" 

It was a tease, but I detected a note of sarcasm in her voice. "I have an eidetic memory Scully. All I have to do is hear someone's name once, and I never forget it." 

She nodded, looking chagrined. "Contrary to common belief, I haven't fucked the entire secretarial pool," I said, hearing my own sarcasm floating up, despite my resolve to be cool about this and just let her explain. Why was I defending myself anyway? 

She coughed a little and said, "I'm sorry, Mulder. I don't know what's wrong with me." 

"It's all right. I didn't mean to be defensive. But I'm not stupid, Scully. I've heard the rumors. I've just never cared enough to disabuse anybody of their notions. Hey, I'm a guy. If everyone wants to think I'm Don Juan, let them. What do I care? It doesn't hurt me any." 

"Good for the ego, huh?" she said, her voice a tease now. 

I chuckled. "Sometimes. It's ironic though, isn't it?" 

"What is?" 

"That I have that reputation when most woman won't come near me with a ten foot pole." 

She laughed now, a mirthless laugh. "Mulder, you are such an ostrich." 

"Ostrich?" 

"Yeah, your head is in the sand." 

"What do you mean by that?" Man, was it 'Pick on Mulder Day'? 

She sighed and looked at me again. "Mulder, you could have any woman you want. I know for a fact that three quarters of that secretarial pool and probably half the single female agents would jump at a chance to go out with you." 

My jaw dropped open as I started shaking my head in denial. "Scully, that's ridiculous!" 

She kept talking as if I hadn't said anything. "You're a brilliant, fascinating man, Mulder. Women are intrigued by you. Then there's the 'Sex Appeal Factor', which obviously can't be discounted." She emphasized that last part! 

"What? Brilliant? Fascinating? Intriguing? Sex appeal factor? Are you delusional?" I asked. 

She looked at me calmly. "You really don't have a clue, do you? That's part of your charm." 

"Charm? What are you talking about, Scully? You obviously have some misconceptions here. I am the least charming person I know. You must be confusing me with somebody else." 

She shook her head. "No, Mulder, I'm not." 

In my best deadpan, I requested, "Define the 'Sex Appeal Factor,'" I requested. Vaguely, I realized that the other adjectives had barely registered. 

She grinned, actually grinned. "You zeroed in on that one, didn't you?" she teased. 

I smiled. "I'm a guy," I repeated, as if that explained everything. 

She chuckled. "Yes, you are, Mulder. You are very much a guy. A guy's guy. You're brave and talented, fearless and arrogant. But you're a woman's guy too, because you're smart and sensitive. You always notice women. You do little things that make them feel appreciated." 

"Like what?" This could be valuable information, I thought. 

"You hold doors for them, you smile at them and say thank you when they help you with something, guide them through doors. You naturally stick up for the underdog, but you let them fight their own battles. Somehow you manage to be a gentleman without being patronizing. It's a very rare quality in a man." 

"Gosh, Scully, you're going to make me blush," I said, my usual sarcasm coming to the rescue again to hide my disbelief and embarrassment. 

She smiled. "That I would like to see, Fox Mulder blushing." 

"I almost did in Skinner's waiting room." 

She looked at me then and her mouth opened. Her eyes met mine and I knew she understood. She was remembering my erection pressed into her belly. So was I and I felt my groin stir again. I shifted uncomfortably, but it was she that blushed. Her ivory skin couldn't hide anything. 

She looked away. "I was a little distracted at the time," she said. 

I cleared my throat. "Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned that." 

"Why not?" she asked. "We are always pretending that things like that didn't happen. Why is that? We're adults for Christ's sake. It's natural for men to get excited. Hell, it's natural for woman to be nurturing and protective. It's going to happen." 

"Embarrassment?" I offered. 

"You were embarrassed?" she asked. 

"Of course I was. How could I not be? You're kicking the shit out of someone, obviously hurt, both of you, and I get a woody over it. Yeah, that's embarrassing. I don't even want to analyze that one." 

"Why is it that men get turned on by seeing woman fight?" 

"I was turned on by seeing YOU fight." 

Her eyes snapped up to meet mine again. Her brow furrowed in confusion, then she shook her head in disbelief. Her eyes asked for confirmation of what she had just heard. 

I responded by nodding my head slowly in the affirmative, answering her unspoken question. 

Finally she whispered, "Why?" 

I cleared my throat again, finding it dry as desert and sipped my tea. She waited but pinned me with her gaze, letting me know that she was not going to let this one go. I decided to go for broke. There was no point in lying to her. She always knew when I was fibbing. If I wanted her to be honest with me, then I needed to be honest with her. 

It was never a problem in the past. Then again, she had never asked these kinds of questions. I really wasn't sure how this would go over. I had to be honest, but maybe I could weasel out of this. "Scully, I don't know what to say." 

"You don't know why?" 

"I know why, but I'm ..." 

"What?" 

"I'm afraid to tell you." 

She looked at me curiously then. "Why?" 

I chuckled. "Question of the day; why?" She gave me her stern looks, eyebrow raised. 

"I'm afraid of saying more than I should. I'm afraid of saying things that will make you uncomfortable around me. I'm afraid of saying something that would make you not want to work with me anymore." 

"I'm your friend, Mulder, give me some credit." 

"You don't know what I'm going to say." 

"So you are going to say it?" 

I sighed again. Seemed I was doing a lot of sighing and throat clearing today. "I don't know if I can." 

"Judging by the fact that this is unnerving you so much, it's obviously important. I know there are subjects that we've danced around for years. I thought I had it under control. Obviously I didn't, or I wouldn't have lost it with Brenda Big Boobs." 

I laughed at her description. It was so out of character for her to be catty and petty. But I can't say as it was turning me off. On the contrary, I liked seeing her like this, being Dana. Seeing the woman behind the doctor scrubs and the Donna Karen suits of the buttoned down FBI agent. Was she really jealous over me? 

"I'll make you a deal. I'll answer all your questions, fully and honestly, but you have to do the same for me. And you have to tell me about this fight today, in detail, and leave nothing out." 

She paled a little, but nodded. "I guess that's only fair. Look, Mulder, we need to get some things out in the open and damn the consequences." 

"I agree." 

"So answer my question." 

"What was it again?" I teased. 

She smiled an exasperated smile, knowing I was stalling. "You said it turned you on to watch women fight; and I asked you why." 

"No, I said it turned me on to watch YOU fight, and you asked me why." 

She looked away and I could see the flush in her cheeks. She didn't redden, but she was on the verge. This conversation was making her uncomfortable but I could tell she had resolved to go through it. No turning back now. 

"O.K., so answer the question," she repeated. 

"Whenever you get aggressive, against anyone, for any reason, it makes me absolutely wild," I said softly. 

She looked at me again, waiting to see if I would say more. I could tell my answer wasn't satisfactory. She wanted more. "Why?" she asked again. 

"If you ask that one more time, I might scream." 

She smiled. "Well, might as well scream now and get it out of the way." 

"Aaaaaahhhhhhhh," I shouted. 

She giggled, then quieted, still waiting. She said, "Define wild." 

"It makes my heart race and my mouth go dry. It makes me flush hot and want to grab you and never let go. In short, it makes me ... so aroused I can't think straight. I don't know why. It always has. Like I said, I don't really want to analyze it. But if I had to guess, I'd say that the fact that you pack all that strength and capability into that petite body of yours is one of the things that makes you so attractive to me. When I see you exercise that strength, something flares inside me." 

"I can't take my eyes off you when you're aggressive. It doesn't matter if you're growling at a suspect, cutting some arrogant asshole off at the knees ... including me ... " I grinned and looked away. "Or if you're getting ready to shoot someone." 

"You don't know why aggressive women turn you on?" 

"There you go again, applying this to the whole damn world. It doesn't happen when anyone else fights, or takes control." 

She looked at me tentatively. 

"Just you, Scully." Now it was my turn to look away. 

I wasn't looking at her so I didn't see it coming. She blurted out, "You're really attracted to me ... that way?" 

I whipped my head around and stared at her for all of two seconds and rasped out, "Yes, of course I am. Who wouldn't be? You're a beautiful woman, Scully." 

She flushed again. "Oh God," she mumbled. 

"Do you know how long I've wanted to say that to you?" 

She shook her head in the negative, still not looking at me. 

"So many things I've wanted to say to you for so long. But I was, I am terrified of losing you, Scully. So scared that you will take them the wrong way." 

"Wrong way? What? Think you want me to be more than a friend?" 

"No. If you thought that, you'd be right." 

She turned to me again now, her eyes riveted on my face. I felt the flush go up my neck but it didn't reach my face. "I mean," I said slowly, "that I'm afraid you'll be uncomfortable around me. I'm afraid if I tell you what's on the tip of my tongue, you'll run away from me. At the worst, I'm afraid you'll leave me. At best, I'm afraid you'll retreat into your shell and I will have ruined the best working relationship and the best friendship I've ever had." 

"What are you saying?" 

"I'm saying, up until now, I didn't think it was worth the risk to ... say everything that was on my mind." 

"You've lied to me?" she whispered. 

"No, I've just NOT told you things. I've NOT said things. If I've lied, it's only been by omission. We are both experts at avoiding some subjects. And this is one of them. We both hold our emotional cards every close to the vest." 

"Whew, this is getting uncomfortable." 

"I told you so," I quipped, trying to lighten the mood. 

She chuckled. "I don't know ... how much I want to know." 

I made a sound of recognition. One that said, 'I know what you mean.' 

I said, "Why don't we start by you telling me what this woman said." 

"Then we'll get back to the ... more than friendship discussion?" she asked. 

"If you still want to at that point." 

She nodded. "All right. She was talking to that secretary... Darlene. I heard her say, 'I'll win, just wait. God, he's a great lay.' I didn't know who they were talking about but I was already disgusted. You just don't talk about people like that, especially not someone you supposedly care about." 

"She doesn't care about me," I pointed out, glossing over my astonishment that anyone would look at me and think I would be a great lay. It was good for my ego, even if it was based purely on conjecture. 

"I know. Then she said, 'I just have to figure out how that frigid, little Ice Queen figures into his life and get rid of her.'" 

"Oh God," I groaned. 

She nodded. "That's when I knew she was talking about me. But I still wasn't sure if she was referring to ..." 

"Me?" 

"Yeah. I shouldn't have done it but I stopped just out of sight of where they were and eavesdropped. I was already hot from being called the Ice Queen. I know that's what people call me. I know I should ignore it, but sometimes it hurts." 

"Who started that?" 

"Jack Willis." 

"If he wasn't already dead, I'd kill the bastard." 

She looked at me sharply and I shrugged, asking her to let it go. She did, thank god. 

"So Darlene asked her, 'have you gone out with him yet?' She said, 'Yes, he wants me. I just have to reel him in, give me another couple of weeks and I'll have him in the sack again, I guarantee it. This time I'll get some proof for you.'" 

"Jesus!" I exclaimed. 

"It gets better. Then Brenda asked Darlene, 'How about double or nothing?'" 

"This was a bet?" 

"It sounded that way to me. I'm sure it was. Wait till you hear what you're worth." 

I choked and she flashed a mirthless smile at me. "Darlene asked, '$500?'" 

I coughed, nearly choking again. "Christ!" 

Scully continued. "That's a lot of money, Mulder. I couldn't believe two people could be so shallow. That they would have sex for the sake of a bet. What kind of a woman would do that?" 

I sighed. "A sick one." 

She nodded. "I was going to walk away and just tell you about it later and let you handle it. But she'd said you'd had a date and she said she'd get you into the sack, AGAIN. And I was ... surprised that I didn't know about it. I don't know why. Your personal life is none of my business." 

"Yes it is," I said. 

She let that go too. "Well, anyway, I decided I'd had enough when Darlene said, 'Too rich for my blood, but I'll keep my bet at $250. You'll never get past the Ice Queen.'" 

"Shit," I muttered. 

"So I walked around the corner and stood behind Brenda. Darlene could see me but Brenda couldn't. I saw Darlene look panicked, but Brenda didn't catch it. Brenda said, 'I hear she's frigid anyway, so she's not really competition. I'll turn him on her and knock her out of the picture in no time.'" 

"God, Scully. What made her think ... no one could ever turn me against you." 

"I have no idea. I couldn't compete with her, because I wasn't in the position that she thought I was anyway. And I don't know why it didn't occur to me that she was lying about the ... date." 

I tried to think if I'd done anything to lead this woman on. I was sure I hadn't even flirted back at her. I'd rebuffed her from Day One. That's probably why she wanted to snag me. Some women were like that. They couldn't stand to be rejected. They only wanted what they couldn't have. Once they got it, the thrill was gone and they moved on. It was a game to them. Phoebe had been like that. I could see why this was a totally foreign idea to Scully though. This type of manipulative thinking just wasn't in her make up. It would never even occur to her to look at people as game pieces for her entertainment. 

"I was having a couple drinks at the Arlington Tavern one night and she came in and sat next to me at the bar. She kept trying to flirt with me but I put her off. When she wouldn't go away, I paid my tab, said good night and went back to my apartment." 

"Guess she figured that was a date." 

"Or that's what she wanted someone to think. Some women just can't stand to be rejected." 

"Anyway, Darlene cleared her throat and pointed at me. Brenda spun around and saw me. Instead of being embarrassed at being caught like any normal person would be she said, 'Oh, speak of the devil.'" 

"God, Scully, what did you say?" 

"I said, 'I don't appreciate you talking about my partner like he's a piece of meat or a trophy. And I certainly don't appreciate some punk rookie calling me names who has never even met me." 

"What did she say?" 

"She said, 'Little Miss La di da. You don't appreciate it? Too bad.' I said, 'Who the hell do think you are?'" 

Scully breathed quickly a couple of times. I could see the anger flowing back into her. 

"Stay calm," I said in a soothing voice. "Just tell me what happened." 

"She said, ... and I'm not making this up." She paused. "She said, I'm the woman whose going to make you cry because I'm going to fuck your partner till he can't see straight. He is a hottie, and he obviously isn't getting any from you. Are you as frigid as they say, or are you a lesbian? You must be because there's no way you could work next to him all this time and not have gone after him." 

"Shit! That sounds like something out of a bad movie. Insulting to you, certainly, and to lesbians for that matter." 

"I know. I saw red, Mulder. I don't know what happened. I know people like her aren't worth getting angry at and I should just pity them, but I snapped. I grabbed a fist full of her hair and dragged the bitch across the hallway into Skinner's waiting room. Kimberly wasn't there. I tossed her into the room and locked the door. I was only able to toss her because I'd caught her by surprise and her head hurt from me yanking her hair." 

I let out a low whistle, but kept silent. Scully was silent too for a few more moments, then she continued. I pictured it and felt my groin stir. 

"She screamed at me, 'Are you fucking crazy?' And I ... I said, 'Yes, I am, you self serving little bitch, I'm crazy as a loon.' She said, 'My God, you're as crazy as he is.'" 

"Oh, so I went from being a hottie to being crazy in about 10 seconds?" 

Scully chuckled a little and said, "I guess so, although you can be both, you know." 

"You think so?" I teased. 

I smiled at her, liking that she was able to joke about this. Did Scully think I was hot? She went on. "As a matter of fact, I said nearly the same thing and asked her, 'If you think he's crazy, then why do you want to get at him?'" 

"What was her enlightened response?" I asked sarcastically. 

"She said, 'Because he's fucking gorgeous and because I have $2,000 riding on it. I've already had him anyway. I just need to do it again to get my money.'" 

I gasped. "Holy shit!" 

"Yeah, I guess Darlene wasn't the only participant in this bet." 

"Guess not. Talk about behavior unbecoming an agent." 

"I told her to stay the hell away from you. God, Mulder, I don't know what happened. I mean, I know you don't need me to protect you, but Mama Bear came out of her cage! I was so incredulous and so pissed. I know that you would have figured her out eventually. It's not that I didn't give you any credit, but I didn't want you to be used like that, I didn't want to have to tell you that you had been used. I was operating under the assumption you had dated this woman. I mean, shit, for all I know, maybe you like to be used. Who am I to say? I just wanted to scare her off. I mean, I was also pissed about the way she casually threw insults at me too." 

"She's obviously listened to all the rumors about the both of us, how crazy I am, your undeserved moniker. And no, Scully, I would never want to be used as a toy ... except by you, maybe." 

She coughed into her hand and chuckled in response to my usual innuendo, taking it in stride. Did she know how serious I was? Did she have any idea how much my dry jokes and innuendo covered up? I doubted it. 

"I should have just told you what I heard and walked away, but ..." Her face screwed up as though she were in physical pain. 

"Oh my God," I gasped, realization dawning on me. "You really believed her. You thought you were already too late." 

She screwed her eyes shut and I saw a tear fall down her face. She angrily swiped it away. "I'm such an ass, Mulder, I should have known you'd see through someone like her, but, but ..." 

"But?" 

"But I believed her. I don't know why. It's been my biggest fear and she said ... she said she'd been with you already ... and I ... " 

"You?" I asked softly. 

"I lost it. I felt sick to my stomach. I started screaming at her that she was a liar. I believed her but I didn't want to. I was screaming my denial at the same time I was thinking ... my worst nightmare was coming true." 

"You're worst nightmare? Why?" What was she saying? Was she referring to me dating someone else? 

She choked on a bark of laughter. "Your turn to ask, why? now?" 

I smiled. "Tell me later," I said softly. I felt like if I interrupted the story, she might stop. 

She nodded. "I fed right into it. She got the rise out of me that she wanted. God, Mulder, I've never lost it like that. She taunted me, saying she wasn't lying, and I was a loser and you were going to be hers and I couldn't compete with her and on and on." 

"I said we were partners and friends and I didn't need to compete with anyone. That she had the totally wrong impression. And what was her problem anyway. Just because we weren't a couple, didn't mean that I didn't respect you and want everyone else to as well, including her." 

"Scully, you never have to compete with anyone." 

She hiccuped. "I know, but ... yes, I do. Or I've always thought I did, despite what I said to her." 

"Scully, no ..." 

She waved her hand at me to stop and I did. "Anyway, I tried to salvage my dignity by screaming at her that I was going to blow her cover and tell everyone what a lying slut she was. I threatened to go to Section Chief Blevins and Kirsch and tell them about her little bets. That's probably what pushed her over the edge. I turned to go out the door before I did something stupid and she jumped me." 

"She jumped you?" 

"Yes." 

"So she started it, the physical part." 

"Yes. Well, the fight part, anyway. I had yanked her by the hair, so I guess that technically started it. But the real physical fight, yes, she attacked me after I turned my back." 

"She grabbed my arm and spun me around, and clocked me across the face with an open palm. She was wearing this ugly silver ring and it split my lip. I was surprised but still on my feet so I tussled with her trying to subdue her. She was like a crazed animal, screaming that I wasn't going to say a word, and on and on. It quickly got out of hand. She landed a knee in my ribs twice." 

"She was just too big for me, Mulder, to merely subdue her. She had a longer reach and she was taller and heavier. I realized she was going to kick the shit out of me if I kept trying to just subdue her." 

"So you started to fight for real." 

"Yes, and then I quickly got the upper hand. My adrenaline was pumping. I didn't even feel my bruised ribs. She thinks she's tough. She's obviously all full of herself, but she's a rookie. I saw her every move before she made it. I knew she'd make a mistake. It wasn't hard to dodge her and get her in a head lock, but not before she nearly scratched my eyes out. She's got a wicked set of talons on her." 

I whistled again. "I think you know what happened from there. You saw the end of it, I presume. I heard you rattle the door, but by then I was in such a rage. You know how your adrenaline gets going?" 

"Yes," I said quietly. 

"Well I was in a red rage. All I could see was her and her disgustingly beautiful face, and I thought, God, I thought she'd tricked you and you'd been with her and I was so furious at her because I knew she'd hurt you, that she was just using you ... and ... I could picture you with her because she was your type and ... I was furious with you too." 

"You were pissed that she had used me and was going to use me again. And you were pissed because you thought I'd been too stupid to see it and was thinking with my little head instead of the big one." 

She nodded. "Let's face it Mulder, you're not known for your stellar intuition when it comes to women. You've got it with everything else, but your choice of women has sucked." 

I chuckled without humor then. She was right. My track record wasn't the best. What would she do when she found out about my current taste in women ... her? 

She was silent for another moment. Then she whispered, "And I was so ... " 

"You were so ... What, Scully?" 

I could barely hear her when she breathed out, "I was so jealous." 

I made a startled sound in the back of my throat. Even as I'd been hoping that was what had happened here, I was afraid to let myself really believe it. She looked up at me again, tears swimming in her eyes. I set my mug on the coffee table and opened my arms to her. "Come here, Scully." 

She shook her head, 'no'. 

"Scully, yes. Come here, I need to tell you something." 

"Then tell me. I'm humiliated enough." 

"Damn it, Scully, trust me! Come here!" 

Her face scrunched up like she was going to lose it again and I leaned forward and grabbed her hands, tugging gently. She let out a strangled sound and came to me, burying her face in my chest. I felt her wince when her ribcage touched down on my chest. But then all I felt was the soft pillow of her breasts, pressing into my pecs. 

Her body rested between my legs and I leaned back, letting her rest there, her chest on mine. Her arms went around my waist and I rubbed her back, trying to soothe her as she cried silently. This was the most intimate position we'd ever been in and my body was reacting immediately. 

She rasped out, "I'm so humiliated, Mulder. I'm so sorry! Now I've gone and embarrassed you too. This is going to be the talk of the bull pen for months! Damn it! I get so tired of being in control all the time, always being the voice of reason. Always doing the right thing. Sometimes I bust loose, you know that." 

I immediately thought of what I now referred to as the 'Philadelphia Experiment.' 

"But this was ridiculous! At work, practically in Skinner's office! How could I be so stupid!?" 

She nearly wailed the last sentence and I squeezed her tight and cooed into to her. "We can't choose where we're going to lose it, Scully. You'd be shocked if you new how close, and how many times, I'd almost busted some guy in the teeth because he flirted with you. Shhh, it's all right. I'm not mad, and I'm not embarrassed." 

"You should be." 

"No, I'm surprised. I'm stunned. But actually, I'm incredibly touched that you care enough for me to defend me. Care enough about me getting hurt to fight for me." 

"You don't need me to defend you." 

"You don't need me to defend you either, but it's never stopped me." 

I felt her lips smile against my shirt, where her lips were pressed to my tee shirt. "No, it hasn't, has it?" 

"Nope. It has nothing to do with whether the person needs to be defended Scully." 

"Then what does it have to do with? Stupid pride? Idiotic insecurities?" 

"No, Scully. It's human nature. You need to forgive yourself for being human. Actually, I'm glad to find out that you are human, capable of losing it like the rest of us common folk." 

She huffed a breathe out around a snort at that comment. She was still hiding her face. Her body was warm and soft and I closed my legs a bit around her hips, trying to bring her closer. I felt myself start to harden and went still hoping that it wouldn't get worse. I felt her go still too. She said, "Human nature, huh?" 

She was obviously trying to break the tension that had suddenly filled the air. I made a rash decision and decided that for once, I wasn't going to ignore it. I wasn't going to pretend that this wasn't happening. I thought, 'Let her feel what she does to me.' 

"Yeah, human nature, Scully. I don't protect you because I think you can't fight your own battles. I've seen you kick some yahoo serious ass. It's just human nature. We always want to protect the ones we love." 

Her head lurched off my chest and she stared directly into my eyes. "What did you say?" she whispered. 

"You heard me," I whispered back. 

My eyes dropped to her lips. They were swollen and red. Her split lip was wearing a bit of dried blood. I risked looking back up at her eyes. God, I wanted to kiss her. Would she let me? But her lip was split. I didn't want to hurt her. 

My breathing quickened when I saw her dilated pupils. I felt more blood rush south and I fully hardened against her. She gave a little gasp in the back of her throat. I knew she felt it. I closed my eyes briefly and slowly raised my hands to her head, cupping her head, pushing my fingers into her hair. 

She was panting gently, her eyes fixed on my face. I blinked again and opened my mouth, breathing warm, moist air onto her lips. It was an invitation. Would she accept? I whispered as it seemed the thing to keep doing. "Do you want what I want, Scully?" 

She whimpered a little and the sound made my cock throb in response. I lifted my hips without thinking, responding to a primal urge. She mewled again and I know she felt the hard length of me pressing into her stomach. "What ... what do you want?" she asked. 

I breathed onto her lips again and felt her shiver. "I want you, Scully." 

"Oh God," she nearly whined. 

"Do you want me, Scully?" 

"Oh God," she said again. I could see panic rising in her face. 

I brushed my lips gently over her cheek and she hummed in the back of her throat. I said, "Don't be scared, Scully." 

"What are we doing?" 

"I don't know, that's up to you." 

"What do you want to do?" she asked. 

"Right this minute or overall?" 

She scrunched her brow and then it evened out. "Right this minute." 

"Right this minute, I want to kiss you, but you're hurt." 

She gasped and her hands wandered up my sides and onto my chest. When her palms dragged over my nipples, they stiffened and I felt a tingle rush to my groin. I moaned softly. I couldn't help it. Her hands went to the back of my neck and she asked, "And ... overall?" 

I blinked and forced myself to look at her. Well, she hadn't leaped off my body yet. I was seized with a sudden case of the 'I don't give a damns.' I whispered, "I want to make love to you." 

She whimpered and her head fell away from my lips, her forehead resting on my cheek. I lifted her face gently to look at her again. I kissed her nose softly. "You've never had to compete, Scully. Nobody compares to you." 

I kissed one eyelid. "I haven't thought about touching another woman for five years." I kissed the other eyelid. 

"But I've thought about touching you ... a lot." 

She blinked slowly and asked her favorite question. "Why?" 

I smiled at her and she smiled in return, but it was a sad smile. "You don't know? Haven't figured that out yet?" 

She shook her head. "Silly woman." 

She had a pout on her face in response to that and I almost laughed, but I tamped it down and felt a wash of nerves flush through me. To my horror, my hands that were cupping her head began to tremble. I was breathing fast and shallow. I felt dizzy again. Christ, was I going to hyperventilate again? 

I clamped my mouth shut and held my breath. I felt my equilibrium return and focused on her face. It was etched with concern. I must have gone pale. I couldn't keep looking into her eyes at that moment. It was just too intense. I tipped her head to the side and brought my lips to her ear. I breathed on her ear and she shivered again against me. My hips rolled again instinctively and she gasped. How long was I was going pussyfoot around this. I was such a coward. My hands were still trembling but at least I wasn't about to pass out. 

I gathered my courage, felt my body go stiff and still. She felt it and I could sense her getting tense. As I released my tension, I breathed into her ear. "Why? You want to know why I want to make love to you?" 

She nodded against my cheek. For the first time, I blurted it out. It was in a ragged whisper, but I got it out, "Because I'm in love with you." 

She gasped and then immediately moaned into my ear as I rolled my hips again. Damn things just wouldn't stay still. It felt hot inside my sweats and I knew if she raised off of me, I would be pitching the tent of the century . 

Her moan reverberated through my body and one hand dropped out of her hair and landed on her lower back, pressing her into me. "God Scully," I croaked. 

I felt tears sting my eyes at her silence. At least she hadn't jerked away from me. I could smell her arousal. I knew she was excited. But did she love me back? I thought she did. God, I hoped so, but I needed to hear it. Would she say it? I couldn't make love to her if she didn't. I needed to know she felt the same way. 

* * *

* * *

**PART 3 (NC-17)**  
**DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT**  
7:00 PM 

"Mulder," she murmured my name. 

"Let's quit dancing around this or ignoring it, Scully." 

"I wasn't ready for this," she said. 

"Are we ever?" 

"I don't know," she replied, sounding resigned and confused. 

"You said you'd answer my questions." 

"I told you about the fight. Isn't that enough?" 

"I have more questions." 

"Go ahead and ask." Again, she sounded like she just wanted to get this over with and maybe she did. 

"I need to clarify. When you thought that I'd been a sucker and that I'd slept with Brenda ... you were jealous?" 

"Yes," she whispered. I could barely hear her. Her nose was practically buried in my arm pit. I hoped my deodorant was still working. 

"Scully, do you love me?" 

I felt her whole body stiffen. OhGodOhGodOhGod. Was I pushing too fast? It's been seven years, I thought. I've been in love with her for five. Even turtles move faster than that. 

Her lips brushed my neck as she spoke and her voice was soft and low, "Yesss." 

"Oh, Scully. Can you say it?" I held my breath and then heard her say it, a slight trembling in her voice, "I ... I love you, Mulder." 

I tightened my grip on her and she hissed, but this time in pain. Shit! I'd forgotten about her ribs. 

"I'm so sorry, Scully! God, let me take a look at your ribs!" 

"No! They're just bruised." 

"I want to see how bad they are." 

She shook her head. "Scully, please." 

"Are you doing this to change the subject?" she asked. 

I pushed my still hard erection into her belly and said, "No, I said I wanted you and I meant it. I think my body has made that clear. But I also know that you're hurt and I won't risk hurting you worse. I need to know how bad your ribs are. I don't know if I could even kiss you without causing you pain at this point." 

"Doesn't seem fair that we finally got the guts to tell each other how we feel and you're still afraid to touch me." 

She lifted her head and smiled weakly. "This is too weird, hearing you say things like that. What the hell are we doing?" 

"I'm turning over a new leaf. No more hiding how I feel about you; not from you anyway." 

"So, you really want ... to make love to me?" 

"You know I do. But it doesn't have to be right now." 

"This is crazy. Are we even having this conversation?" 

"It might be crazy but it's reality, Scully. We can deny it all we want, but the facts remain. I'm in love with you. You say that you're in love with me too." 

"I am." 

"Are we going to ignore that too? Are we going to pretend neither of us said those words? Are we going back to the way things were? I don't think I can do that, Scully." I paused. "I don't think I can," I repeated. 

She was quiet and then slowly slid out of my lap, pushing herself back and upright onto her knees, where she knelt between my legs. I made no attempt to hide my arousal from her. I wasn't going to do this while she was in pain, but I wanted her to know how she affected me. I didn't want her to have any doubts. She raised the hem of her tee shirt and my mouth fell open on a gasp. 

Livid black, blue and purple bruises covered her right side from the bottom of her breast, under which she scrunched the tee shirt with white knuckles, all the way to her waist line. I felt my arousal deflate rapidly as I as flooded with concern. 

"Jesus, Scully!" 

She looked down at herself and shrugged. "They'll heal. They took an x-ray. Nothing was broken. They just look terrible." 

"That's got to be painful, Scully, just to breathe, let alone move!" 

"Certain positions are better than others," she admitted. She made to loosen her grip on the tee shirt and let it fall. I reached out and held the hem up with my fingers, letting them brush her skin lightly. I leaned forward and kissed her ribs, feather light, my lips barely touching her skin. 

She sucked in her breath and held it, but didn't move. I gently let the tee shirt fall and looked up to see ... disappointment?! 

I smiled. "You, young lady, are doing as little as humanly possible for the next week!" 

"Damn it, Mulder! I can decide what I can handle! I'm a doctor, for God's sake." 

"Can you?" I asked calmly. "Doctor's make the worst patients and I'll be honest with you, Scully. I don't think you know your limitations sometimes. You always push too hard." 

"Don't baby me, Mulder! I don't need that from you! How many times do I have to tell you that I can take care of myself?" 

"And I told you that it has nothing to do with need." 

She went still and searched my face. I tried to let all my love and concern show on my face. Softly, I asked, "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I just WANT to take care of you? For no other reason, than because I care about you? Because I love you?" 

She hung her head slightly. "I'm sorry, Mulder." 

"Don't be sorry. Just think about it. I love your strengths, Scully, how strong you are. But I need to know you're human too, like me, or I feel 'less than', inadequate next to you. I need to know that you have weaknesses too, that maybe, just maybe, you need me a fraction as much as I need you." 

Her eyes filled with tears, but they didn't fall. "I DO need you, Mulder." She paused. "So you want to pamper me?" 

"Yes." 

"You want to take care of me?" 

"Yes." 

"All week?" 

"Yes." I smiled at her. 

"You sure?" 

"Yes." 

"Then you need to prove it." I detected a definite tease in her voice now. 

"What do I need to do?" 

"Take the week off and bring some clothes over here and stay here with me." 

I grinned, feeling goofy. "You really want me to stay here?" 

"Yup. You may regret it. I just might run you ragged." 

I grinned again. "I'll look forward to it. 

* * *

Never having played nurse maid, I did have my work cut out for me. But I did my best and I think Scully was impressed. I cooked her breakfast, made sandwiches for lunch and cooked dinner every night. 

They were simple things like spaghetti and chicken noodle soup, but I kept her fed and kept her in tea. And as the week progressed, I could see her becoming more relaxed having me there. It was an odd sort of domesticity that sprung up around us, as though we'd been doing this for years. I gave her shoulder and foot massages. 

I kissed her face, forehead, neck and shoulders, every chance I got, loving that I was allowed to touch her at all. She responded in kind when I did, driving me absolutely insane. The tension was building. This wasn't going to be enough for very long. We were building toward the crossing of that final line. She hadn't retreated from me like I thought she might. That gave me a lot of hope that I might actually be close to making a dream come true. I might actually get to make love to Dana Scully. 

On Thursday, after three days of almost constant semi-arousal, it finally happened for the first time. And it was all over except the encore. No reverse on this Mustang. 

She was standing in the kitchen making coffee. I came out of the bathroom to find her out of bed and was ready to scold her when I walked into the kitchen. 

She was standing there in nothing but a tank top and cotton panties. I was so hard, so instantly, it almost made me dizzy. I don't think there was a drop of blood left in my head. Before I could bite down on it, I moaned at the sight before me. 

Her tattoo was peaking out from under the ribbed tank. She spun around and I grabbed the door jamb for support. I literally thought my knees were going to give out. Her entire mid-drift was exposed. Her navel was visible above the elastic of her panties. 

She smiled and raised an eyebrow. 

"What are you doing out of bed?" I croaked. Embarrassed at the sound of my voice, I cleared my throat. 

"Making coffee." 

"I see that. What are you trying to do dressed like that, torture me?" I asked. 

She smiled, looking amused. "You'd see more of me if I were in a bikini," as if this were a perfectly reasonable explanation. 

"I've never seen you in a bikini," I replied. 

"You've seen me naked, Mulder." 

"I had other things on my mind at the time, like saving your life and escaping a horde of lizard like aliens." 

She licked her lips. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I'll go get my robe." 

She pushed away from the counter and came toward me. She made to walk past me, and I stopped her with a hand on her hip. She turned, facing my side and looked up at me. "You didn't make me uncomfortable, Scully. Not in a bad way. I'm glad you're comfortable enough around me to walk around in your underwear. Makes me feel like we're an old married couple. You just took me off guard." 

She smiled at that. "Is there any such thing as a good way to be uncomfortable?" she asked. 

"Yes." 

She raised her eyebrow again. "How's that?" 

I turned slowly, one hand trailing over her shoulder down to her lower back. She shivered and it made the blood pound in my ears. The other hand dove into her hair and I tugged her up against me. I hadn't caught her looking anywhere besides my face, so I don't know if she noticed how hard I was. My jeans might have hidden it some. But I left no doubt when I pressed on her lower back gently, and brought her stomach against my groin. 

I didn't lose eye contact as I did it. I saw her eyes widen slightly. Her lips dropped open and I noticed there was still a crack in her lip but it was healing nicely. Her tongue came out to wet her lips and I was lost. 

I made some stupid sound like someone had squeezed my Adam's Apple and I dipped my head and pressed my lips to hers. They were warm and soft and damp. I licked her bottom lip gently and she opened her mouth. As soon as my tongue slid inside, she moaned. 

She moaned! Right into my mouth. I felt warmth flare out over my chest and it caused an odd squeezing sensation around my heart. I deepened the kiss slightly, slowly teasing her tongue. I was still conscious of her split lip, but now my body was screaming! 

I was beginning to throb and then felt an ache wash through my groin. I returned her moan. We must have stood there for five minutes doing nothing but kissing. Her lips were so warm and soft. I feasted on their plumpness licking every millimeter and sucking each one into my mouth then returning for her tongue. I could kiss Scully for hours and not bat an eyelash. It was immediately on my list as the number one thing I liked to do. 

Her hands moved up and down my sides. Then she surprised me by grabbing my ass and pulling me into her with a sharp tug. 

I groaned and broke the kiss, pulling air into my lungs. I'd forgotten to breathe there for a minute or so. I looked down at her and said, "We have to stop this, Scully. I'm getting to the point where I won't be able to stop." 

She backed away slowly but took my hand and tugged. "Who says I want that?" she asked, smiling coyly. She turned and I followed her into the bedroom where she spun around and faced me. 

"Scully, what are you doing?" 

"I want to make love to you." 

My heart started banging against my rib cage. I told myself to slow down. 

"Scully, no. I'm all right. You're not ready. I'm not some adolescent school boy that can't control his lust. I just need to back away from it for moment sometimes to get it under control." 

"I'm ready, Mulder. I'm past ready. I've been aroused for three days and I'm tired of having you sleep on the couch." 

"You're still too ... " 

"No, I'm not." 

"Scully, I'm still going to want you tomorrow and the next day. When we finally do this thing, I want it to be something neither of us will ever forget. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want you to have to hold back." 

"It will be special, Mulder. It will be special simply because ... it's you." 

"Oh Scully, you're killing me here!" 

She giggled. She reached up and cupped the back of my neck, standing on tip toes. She pulled me down and kissed me hard. I could do nothing but go along for the ride. I gasped, "Your lip!" 

She mumbled, "It's O.K." Her tongue plunged into my mouth. She pulled away suddenly and said, "I can't wait anymore, Mulder. We'll be careful. I promise, I'll be careful. But I have to have you." 

Jesus! How was I supposed to keep resisting that? I was forgetting why I was resisting in the first place. Oh yeah, she was hurt! I was losing my resolve fast. I'd promised myself I was going to wait until she was completely healed. 

But how the hell much was I supposed to be able to take? The woman I loved was practically begging me to have sex with her. Correction, make love to her. Could I turn her down? Could I stop this? 

Was I crazy? I laughed silently to myself. One more try, I must be crazy, but I had to try. "Scully, if I hurt you, I'll never forgive myself." 

"You won't. I promise. How do you feel about being on the bottom?" 

I nearly choked, but couldn't help the smile that split my face in half. "God, Scully." 

She reached out and yanked my tee shirt out of my jeans and lifted. I lifted my arms to assist and leaned down so she could reach as she pulled it over my head. I straightened up to find her staring at my chest and licking her lips. 

Jesus Christ. That was arousing. She stepped into me, running her hands from my waist to my armpits, up over my shoulders and back down. She put her lips to my breast bone and licked gently as her thumbs tweaked my nipples and I moaned. "Scully, Oohhh, that's good." 

She licked one nipple and then the other. I couldn't stand it and pulled her face up to kiss her again. Her hands dropped to my waist and deftly unbuttoned my jeans and unzipped them. The backs of her fingers skimmed over my engorged flesh and I jumped, feeling a bolt of electricity fly through my groin. 

She didn't waist any time, but hooked her fingers into my waist band and yanked my jeans, boxers and all down in one hard yank. I didn't have shoes on, but I did have socks on. I lifted one leg and then the other as she pulled my jeans off and then lifted so she could remove my socks. I stood naked as the day I was born and watched as she turned her eyes up to mine. 

Her gaze swept over me from head to toe and then again. I began breathing quickly, feeling my cock harden even further and pull up towards my stomach. "My turn," I croaked. 

I stepped into her and gently pulled her tank top over her head, conscious as always of her bruised ribs. They looked awful, but better. The bruises were yellow and green now. She looked down, knowing I was staring at them. "I'm all right, Mulder, I swear. I wish I looked better for you, but ... " 

I reached out and gently cupped her breasts. "You look absolutely beautiful." 

She sucked in her breath and watched my fingers as they tweaked her nipples and then pinched them lightly. She moaned low in her throat. "Mmuullddeerr." 

I guided her back onto the bed and she laid back. "Like this first," I whispered. 

She nodded. 

"So beautiful, Scully. Jesus, you're body is perfect, so beautiful." 

She smiled, flushing slightly. I ran my hands over her legs, up her tummy, staying to the left, avoiding her bruised ribs and cupped her breasts again. I straddled her, leaned and kissed her. She shuddered when I moved to her neck and laved the skin below her ear and sucked on her pulse. Her torso arched off the bed and I waited for her to wince in pain, but she didn't. I made my way over her collar bone and over the tops of her breasts, darting my tongue out to taste her and marveling at the silky feel of her skin against my lips. 

I cupped her right breast and took her nipple into my mouth. She moaned and arched again, pressing into me. I pressed her gently into the bed, not wanting her to hurt herself. She settled back and I began to suckle her, feeling her hard little nub against my tongue. 

Feeling her areola pucker into tight bumped flesh in my mouth was an incredible feeling. I reached down to scratch my fingers lightly through her auburn curls below her navel. Again, she pressed into my hand, so I slid lower, swiping a finger between her legs and immediately encountering a slick, swollen seam of warm flesh. 

God, she was so wet! 

Scully was wet for me! I felt dizzy and groaned. She touched her finger to my lips and I let go of her nipple. She pulled my head up and began to suck on my lower lips, laving it with her tongue and I felt my cock throb and surge with a fresh round of arousal. "On your back," she whispered. 

I eagerly complied, bringing my wet fingers to my mouth and tasting her. Her eyes went wide and then she muttered, "Holy shit, Mulder." 

She wasted no time straddling me and leaned over to kiss me again. She traveled over my neck and chest, kissing her way down. She scooted back and her hands caressed my hip bones and I thought I was going to spontaneously combust. She kissed the insides of my thighs, my navel, everywhere except where I wanted her to be. 

I flexed my hips, no longer able to keep still. She lifted up and swiped her finger over the head of my cock, gathering my precum fluid on her finger. My cock twitched at her touch and when she raised it to her mouth and sucked it off her finger, I thought I was going to come right there. I closed my eyes to block out of the sight of her swollen lips surrounding her own finger. "Scully, please!" 

She wrapped her hand around my cock and ran it gently but firmly from root to tip, spreading my leaking fluid over the head with her thumb. "So big," she murmured under her breath. 

I opened my eyes just in time to see her line my shaft up with her entrance. I grasped her hips gently and steadied her as she sank slowly onto my hardened member. 

"Awwwwwww, Mulder, yeah!" she exclaimed as her eyes rolled back in her head. Her hands came up to balance on my shoulders and I glued my eyes to the sight of her continued descent. My shaft slipped inside her slow and steady. 

Her tight walls were slick and pulsing around me as I pushed them aside with the most rigid hard on I'd ever had and slipped inside. It was the most exquisite feeling I'd ever had. I'd forgotten what this felt like. As good as my imagination is, there is no substitute for the real thing. 

The first push into a woman you've never been with was unlike any other pleasure in the world. I shuddered once I was embedded to the hilt, pushing against the entrance of her womb. She was so hot and so incredibly snug around me. 

We stayed still for long moments, just enjoying the feeling of that first penetration. Good thing, or I probably would have embarrassed myself. She finally relaxed and smiled down at me. "Oh Mulder, I feel so full. Oh God, it's better than I imagined." 

"You imagined this?" I asked stupidly. 

She grinned. "Hundreds of times. You?" 

"Thousands, I lost count." She grinned and raised herself carefully. I steadied her as she began to lift and sink back down. She went slow and it was exquisite torture. I gritted my teeth keeping a tight rein on my lust. What I wanted to do was throw her on her back and pound into her until my cock exploded. But I couldn't. She had to be in control because of her ribs and I knew it. 

This wasn't a bad thing. I was enjoying every second of it, don't get me wrong. But it was a struggle to keep myself under control. She panted out gently, "You can thrust Mulder, it won't hurt. God, you feel so fucking good. You're so big, so thick. I feel so full." 

Her words were like a knife against the last thread of my control. I gripped her hips more tightly and held her above me slightly and began thrusting up into her, careful not to impact her too hard, but it was enough to kick my impending release from 'getting there', to 'any second now.' 

I groaned and said, "Oh, I'm not going last much longer, Scully." 

She pulled one hand from my hip and placed it on her breast. I could take a hint. I kneaded her flesh, pinched her nipple and then rolled it between my thumb and forefinger. She groaned and yelped, "Yeeesss!" 

I kept it up and my free hand reached down to swipe at her clit as I tried to continue thrusting and playing with her breast at the same time. I had the silly thought go through my head, 'good thing I can multi-task.' 

I felt my balls cringe deliciously as my orgasm coiled in my gut. "Oh Scully, I'm almost there. Almost there." 

She batted my hand away and swiped harder on her clit than I would have dared. I raised my knees slightly and it tilted her hips forward. This must have done the trick, because she shrieked and her nails dug into my shoulder. Her busy hand came back to my other shoulder and dug in as well. 

Her walls swelled and waved around me. She threw her head back and I watched as her nipples puckered hard and turned a dark coral pink. She groaned, "Awww, Awww, Mulder, so good!" 

Then she just wailed a wordless sound of pleasure as her tremors shook her body. 

I shouted as I felt my cock harden to consistency of steel for a white hot second and I howled as my seed raced out of me in hard, spurting jolts. I thrust harder than I meant to and ground into her as I lost control. Her wails were echoing in my ears as I shuddered with aftershocks. 

She groaned loudly and carefully lowered herself onto my chest. My hands went to her ass and cupped her, squeezing and pressing her against me. We both quivered and then went still. We lay that way, silent for several minutes until our breathing was back to normal. 

She raised her head and looked at me, smiling a lazy, sated smile. I'd never seen anything more beautiful. 

"I love you, Scully. God, that was ... beyond description." 

She smiled wider and stretched up to kiss me. I raised my head to make it easier for her but then flopped it back down onto the pillow. My muscles felt like putty. 

She said. "I love you too." She paused and then said, "God, I needed that!" 

I hooted with laughter. "YOU needed that?!" 

"Yes, I did," she confirmed, smiling against my chest. 

"Glad I could help," I quipped. 

She giggled. 

I rubbed her back and she sighed. "Tired now." 

"Mmm, sleep." 

"I should move," she mumbled. 

"Stay right where you are." 

"We'll be sticky." 

"That's what showers are for." 

She hummed contentedly and I felt her body melt against mine, totally relaxed. I thought she was asleep but she muttered, "Don't worry, Mulder. I'll NEVER forget this." 

I chuckled softly. "Me neither." 

"Help me fill out that report tomorrow?" she asked tentatively. 

"Sure." 

"I want to get it over with." 

"I know. But let's not think about till tomorrow." 

"O.K." 

"Love you, Scully." 

"Love you, Mulder." 

"We're going to be all right, aren't we?" 

I sighed. "I think so. Skinner will know you were provoked. We'll tell him about the bet, that she jumped you first and you were only defending yourself until you realized she wasn't going to give in. He'll understand. We can leave out the details of what you two screamed at each other, couch it in euphemisms like 'totally inappropriate insults and comments'." 

She chuffed, amused. "And I'll promise never to do it again." 

"Yes you will. No more cat fights, Scully. Not that you aren't extremely good at them, but ..." 

"More trouble than they're worth?" 

"Yes, that, and I'm not worth fighting over." 

"I think you are." She snuggled in tighter, her head tucked under my chin. 

"What was that about your worst nightmare, Scully?" I'd been pondering that comment on and off for three days. 

She sighed. "I've been afraid you would find someone and fall for them and I'd be pushed out of her personal life. No more room for me as a friend or anything else." 

"No fear, Scully. Never happen. I'd wished I'd known. I could have laid all your fears to rest. I can't believe you didn't already know how crazy I was about you." 

"I do now and that makes you even more worth fighting over." 

"Glad you think so, Scully. But no more insecurities. No more competing. This sort of thing ever happens again, you just laugh in their faces." 

"I will. You're mine now. And Mulder?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Thank you ... for everything." 

"You're welcome. But there's no need to thank me. I enjoyed doing things for you." 

"If you ever decide to quit the Bureau, you could have a brilliant career in home nursing." 

I groaned. And she giggled again. 

"Sleep now." 

"O.K." 

She drifted off to sleep and I just reveled in the feel of her skin under my palms as I rubbed her back. We were definitely going to be O.K., better than O.K. We were going to fabulous together. 

**THE END.**

### The End ###   
  


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